Websites started life back in the day when the only way to navigate a set of pages was by the use of a menu. This is still true as we all know where to look for pages of information. But it could be better.
Don’t just really on the menu to help people find their way around your website, you need to help them a little. Tell a story, guide them along the way. This way, they feel they are on a journey, being gently guided to the solution to their problem or the object of their desires.
Don’t say “Here’s the menu, see if you can find what you’re look for” say this instead: “here’s a few pointers, we’ll show you the best way to solve your problem / find the thing you most desire”.
Tell the story
The home page should tell a story, leading the reader from one part to another, starting with an attention-grabbing brand message which might be a photo of your best product or a photo showing your service in an interesting way (avoiding obvious ‘stock images’ where possible).
The next step is a message about what you do and how you help; what’s in it for the customer? Sell the sizzle not the sausage.
A great way to think about this is from one of our experiences. We were asked to design a car-wrap for a restaurant – they wanted to completely cover the car with some food photos.
They insisted on photos of the meat – uncooked but looked lovely (if you’re a chef) but to me it looked like the message was “we handle raw meat!”. Instead, the message should have said “enjoy some mouth-watering, grill-sizzling steak and chips!”
We persuaded them to have photos of tasty looking food, lovingly prepared. When eating out, we don’t want to know about the raw ingredient (usually anyway), we want to see the lovingly prepared and tasty meal.
Sizzle, not sausage.
Need more help and advice? Find out more about our web design services in Exeter